Chef Chau of Sushi Pop

Chef Chau came to the United States from Vietnam. Growing up around the restaurant industry, helping his parents in their family-owned restaurants, he was influenced greatly by food. Intrigued by the unique taste, simplicity, and freshness of sushi, Chef Chau was inspired to become a chef and began his career by opening his own restaurant serving Japanese Cuisine. After dining at the famous restaurant Nobu in New York City, Chef Chau decided to bring Nobu’s unique combination of traditional Japanese cuisine with citrus and herbs to Central Florida.

Sushi Pop is a contemporary restaurant designed in the style of Harajuku with fun, bright, young and creative decor, representing J-Pop Culture. Chef Chau and his staff create sushi art with every dish, carefully selecting only the best and freshest seafood ingredients, directly from the famous Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan.

Sushi Pop is a hidden treasure located at 310 West Mitchell Hammock Road in Oviedo. If you enjoy sushi like I do, you do not want to miss an opportunity to indulge yourself.

Give Kids The World Village

Many Central Florida chefs are on the scene when it comes to giving back to our community and are closely involved with local charities and non-profit organizations. Celebrity Chef and Retro Rad Diva Emily Ellyn is no exception. In addition to her involvement with the Second Harvest Bank of Central Florida, Florida Hospital Foundation, Orange County Public Library, Ronald McDonald House, and many more, she acts as a spokesperson for Give Kids The World’s Ice Cream For Breakfast campaign.

Give Kids The World Village provides a cost free, week-long vacation for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. The Village was established by hotelier, philanthropist, and Holocaust survivor, Henri Landwirth in 1989. Since its opening, Give Kids The World Village has hosted over 120,000 families. Everything is included: accommodations, theme park tickets, trips, transportation, meals, snacks, and daily surprises for each child in the family. All this, and more, is provided through the support of numerous volunteers, generous individuals, and community-minded corporations.

At the Ice Cream Palace located at the Village, for example, families can have ice cream ANY time of the day… even for breakfast!

The Ice Cream For Breakfast campaign was set up to help fund the awesome work done at GKTW and was inspired by a “wish family” who celebrates their anniversary by eating ice cream for breakfast. They suggested a campaign to encourage individuals, families and corporations to support Give Kids The World Village by signing up for a virtual fundraising campaign or hosting an ice cream social in their place of business or home.

Give Kids the World Village is a truly magical place where families and, especially children, can forget the everyday reality of hospitals, doctor visits and treatments. It’s a week to have an unforgettable time with each other and enjoy a “happiness that inspires hope.”

For more information, please visit givekidstheworld.org and www.icecreamforbreakfast.org

Executive Chef Philip Romano – Teak Neighborhood Grill

Meet dynamic and always evolving Chef Philip Romano of Teak Neighborhood Grill. His inspiration to became a chef came from the love of fishing and making meals from the catch of the day. Although he is preparing famous burgers at Teak, seafood remains his specialty. Along with Thai cuisine, it is his absolute favorite meal to cook at home. Chef Philip is striving for the best in everything he does; he is not afraid of the competition and accepts any culinary challenge sent his way.

Teak Neighborhood Grill is a neighborhood bar with TV screens designed to watch any sporting event inside or outside on their spacious patio. Teak serves a wide variety of the award winning dishes and is known for their tallest and heaviest handcrafted burgers.

Drunken Monk was voted Number One Burger by WESH’s Orlando My Way. Angry Orchard onion jam, roasted cherry tomatoes, smoked bacon, herb mayo, provolone cheese & Teak chips topped with melted white cheddar cheese served on a pretzel bun.

Caprese Burger and the Cronie, a “french doughnut” tossed with cinnamon-sugar.

Teak Neighborhood Grill is located at 6400 Times Square Avenue, in the Southwest Orlando community of Metrowest.

Executive Chef Shawn Kaplan – Kasa Restaurant & Raw Bar

Executive Chef Shawn Kaplan of Kasa Restaurant and Raw Bar began his culinary odyssey as a teenager in Canada. He became serious about cooking after attending school in Florida and traveling to Napa Valley, France, and Italy. He is fascinated with cooking and would love to be able to take some time to expand his culinary techniques and artisan skills, such as making soba noodles from scratch.

Open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, Kasa Restaurant and Raw Bar offers a raw bar with fresh seafood and an exciting menu of diverse small plates, combining the influence of Asian and Latin cultures. Kasa is located in Downtown Orlando at 183 S. Orange Avenue.

Featuring Kasa Corn made with miso lime aioli, togarashi spices, manchego cheese, queso fresco.

by Irina Pabis / Gail Couchman